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Interview/Giveaway - Terry Spear

Monday, March 24, 2014

Today I have Terry Spear, who wrote the Silence of the Wolf (I loved this book! Check out the review tomorrow!), on the blog and she graciously let me pick her brain. :) So everyone give a warm welcome to Ms. Spear!!

Crystal-Thanks for stopping by Redheads today! Can you tell us a little about you and a little about what you write?

Terry: Thanks so much for having me here today! I’m a retired Army USAR officer, love to read, to visit gardens, garden—as in flowers and trees and shrubs, bird watch, photography, make original handmade teddy bears, and write about fantasy worlds that are as real as they can be, whether that’s about hunky SEAL wolves, Highland wolves, the Silver Bros wolf pack, like in Silence of the Wolf, or the fae in teen reads, or medieval Highland hunks.

Crystal-What was the first book that stuck with you?

Terry: I loved to read and read voraciously when I was a kid. I was a fast reader, and we had an accelerated reading program in school. So I would take the tests and end up in the school library for the rest of the school year reading to my heart’s content. One of the books I fell in love with was Last of the Mohicans. I read every Native American tale, and tons of folklore and mythologies from around the world. I loved Jack London’s Call of the Wild and White Fang, which were my first books where I developed a love of wolves. But I also loved to create my own stories.

Crystal-What gets your creative juices flowing?

Terry: I usually blog first, but I also do a lot of research. So I was researching A SEAL Wolf for Sale, the area, grizzlies, hunters who go missing, but I had read a couple of years back about a wolf pack and it stuck with me—it was really sad, but I’m using it as a framework for this group of wolves. I think that’s what I love best. Is the research and it will take me to places that I never thought of going. And consequently, readers will learn some new things too. And that’s always fun for me, when readers can expect to learn something new.

Crystal-When you’re not writing, what are your favorite hobbies?

Terry: I LOVE photography. So for me, it’s taking trips to the zoo or botanical gardens, or just seeing the wonders about me, a sunset, a wildflower, cardinals at the feeders, a stormy sky, moss on the tree, mushrooms after a spring rain. I love seeing the beauty in everything around me. But I also love to create new teddy bears and besides being featured in magazines and newspapers, they’ve found homes all over the world as far away as Australia.

Crystal-Tell us a bit about the projects you are working on now?

Terry: I’m working on A SEAL Wolf for Sale which will come out next year. This is Paul’s story, and then I talked with my editor and I’ll need to write Allan’s next in the SEAL wolf stories. Though A Silver Wolf Christmas will be the next project I need to write. Again, loving the Silver wolf pack. I’m also working on The Viking’s Highland Lass for the ever popular The Highlander medieval series. It will be out this year. And a second cougar story, Call of the Cougar.

Crystal-How do you develop your characters?

Terry: They develop themselves. I give them free reign. I know it can be dangerous, but if I don’t, they’ll just fight me anyway, and win. As long as they get their happily ever after, I’m happy and they’re happy. For instance, I’ll give them a problem to deal with. How they deal with it is based on their past experiences and their personality. Just like it is with anyone. And, who they are with at the time, will influence how someone behaves. When I was at one of my summer Army ROTC camps, we had to complete Leadership Reaction Courses, Confidence Courses, Obstacle Courses, and other such leadership training. It’s similar to that. How you react under pressure. If I was doing a Confidence Course with a bunch of women, I’d probably act a little differently than I would if I was with a hunk of a wolf shifter, who I was lusting after. You see? Really depends on who you are with. If it’s for real, and not just part of training, again, something different. My personal background is different from others. I might have an idea of how to do something, or have a phobia about something, that the other person doesn’t have. He might. Again, it would be based on those past experiences. If he’s done it before, or I have, then that would change the scenario also.

Crystal-Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?

Terry: I usually don’t listen to music because I really am into the scenes I’m writing and it takes me into a different world. I have listened to some at times and for something like this it would be the Bourne Identity type movie themes—action, suspense, forward movement. When I am writing Highland stories, I listen to a lot of Celtic orchestral music. I can’t listen to lyrics or I’ll write it into my book.

Crystal-What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?

Terry: The most challenging aspect is always different for each book. For Silence of the Wolf, it was learning as much as I could about airplane crashes. I do a lot of research. I like to get things as right as I can. I even talked with my son, who flies for the AF, about crashes and such.

Most rewarding, there are always scenes that are so riveting to me, and ultimately to readers, that I LOVE to “edit” them over and over again. I don’t really change them… it’s just an excuse to keep reading them again. In Silence of the Wolf, it was the kiss scene on the slopes. In Savage Hunger, it’s the waterfall scene--hot, hot, hot. In A Highland Wolf Christmas, the kiss under the Christmas tree, literally. Every book has multiple scenes like that, that I totally love and find that readers do too.

Crystal-I know you hear from a lot of readers…What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?

Terry: I LOVE hearing from my readers!! If anyone reading this doesn’t follow me on FB, please do. I interact all the time there with readers. I think most of it has to do with that readers love to learn new things. And one of the things I shared in Savage Hunger was about pink dolphins. A number of readers told me they had to look them up as they had never heard of them—neither had I—and loved them. That is worth the world to me. To share fun knowledge mixed in with my fantasy worlds.

Crystal-Who are some of your favorite authors and books?

Terry: I love Moning’s Immortal Highlander. It was the first book I read of hers and I bought all of her other books. I love Jayne Ann Krentz’s books. Fell in love with her futuristic books first, and then learned about her historical paranormal and contemporary paranormal worlds and thoroughly enjoyed them. One of my favorite historical authors is Leslie Lafoy, and another was Campbell, but I don’t think she’s writing any longer. Tons of others: Samantha Grace, Grace Burroughs, Mia Marlowe, Vonda Sinclair, Christy English, Theresa Romain, Victoria Roberts, Tracey Devlyn. I tend to read a LOT of historicals. Love them. Paranormal: Shona Husk, Ashlyn Chase, Sarah Castille. And of course for a hunky cowboy world: Carolyn Brown.

Crystal-What are you reading now?

Terry:A SEAL Wolf for Sale. It’s due in June, so between research on it and writing it and going to two conferences between now and then, I have to concentrate on that for now!

Crystal-And I can’t have you leave without this fun question I like to ask…boxers or briefs?

Terry: Kilts--no boxers or briefs, with a very stiff breeze, and a camera in hand. *very big grin*

Crystal- Love it!! Thanks for stopping by Redheads today!

Terry: Thanks so much for having me! You know my daughter is a redhead, so they have a special place in my world.

Giveaway:

For a chance to win a physical copy of Silence of the Wolf, Ms. Spear has a question for her readers. Answer in the comments below for a chance to be entered to win! (Giveaway ends 11:59 pm March 30th.

My question to readers is: What would you have done in Elizabeth’s place if Tom Silver had kissed you where everyone was waiting in line to get on the ski lifts and you’d only just met him?

Crystal- I can say for myself, I would probably turn the shade of a tomato(which isn't all that hard, lol) and discourage him to do it again even though I would secretly want even more. :)

[book-info]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over fifty paranormal romance novels and five medieval Highland historical romances. Her 2008 novel, Heart of the Wolf, was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (romance category). A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world. She lives in Texas. For more information, please visit http://terryspear.com/

41 comments

LOL, my answer to your question is - first I'd sputter in shock and stare at him like he was crazy thinking how bold he was, then my reflexes would slap him first, take a deep breath and then reach up and yank him towards me and lay one passionate kiss on him that he'd never forget. My buds are hardening just thinking about that kiss - LOL

I loved the interview and you made me smile with your passion for wolves and how you love research, photography, and serious about writing your scenes. I loved the part about the music, I think I would find myself writing the lyrics into the scene as well - LOL I can just imagine myself writing some Van Halen into some scenes - HaHa like "Running with the Devil" or "Could this be love" LOL

This was such a fun interview, but I must confess I have never read any of your work. What drew me to RedHeads Review it Better today is I saw her post on Networked Blogs Email that I get every morning and it had your beautiful book cover right up front. I love Photography (graphics) as well and for me the first thing that grabs my attention is a bookcover. If I would of been in a store and saw it, it'd been the first thing I picked up and bought. So now I'm adding it to my to read list.

You said you wrote Historical as well, so now I need to go check out your website to see your work. I love both paranormal and historical reads so much. The passion in those genres are so exciting that it makes me want to live in their worlds.

Woohoo, Ronda, you totally made my night!!! I was at the zoo today, checking out the jaguars. I make it my duty to ensure that they are truly JUST jaguars and no poor shifter got caught up and stuck in there by accident!!! Love, love, love historical as well. My medieval Highlanders are doing great and I'm hoping to get back to working on: A Viking's Highland Lass soon. What can be better than a hot Highlander, but a hot Viking raised by the Highlanders, eh??? Silence of the Wolf is a gorgeous cover! :) *sigh* Tom...

Oh, yay!!!!! I can get in. I couldn't on FireFox and had the brilliant idea to try Google Chrome! :) Thanks so much, Froggy!!! One kiss from the handsome wolf and you turn into a princess, right??? Thanks for loving the series!

Honestly, I'd probably have done the same thing Crystal said she'd do... but, deep down, I would have wanted to do what Elizabeth did. I like Dawn (Froggarita's) thought... to grab him tight and not let go! WooHoo!

LOL Terry, I love Vikings too - hee hee I am such a sucker! Sigh! How funny you had to take a double look at the Jaguars to make sure they weren't shifters (LOL) Well I shouldn't be laughing because over spring break my oldest daughter and my 4 year old grandson went to Sea World and we did the Sea Lion Experience - LOL When I got to get up close and look into those dark brown eyes and pet that 500 pound Seal I got chills because of all those muscles with the soft skin I could feel and the power radiating off of him. I looked at the female trainer and said - "Wow, just touching him (Clyde was his name) all I can think about is him slipping off his skin and turning into some sexy man" - LMAO! That trainer looked at me like I was crazy - ha ha

LOL, you are too funny!!! When I was at a readers' convention last year in Savannah, GA, a group of us walked all over the town and cemeteries and such, and we saw so many really interesting old houses. So I was taking a picture of one, when the two men who were renovating it got a kick out of it and started posing for pictures. They were so funny. I told them we wrote romance books and they'd have to take off their shirts for the pictures. They were laughing and willing. We just had too much fun. :)

Oh how funny! I can just imagine those guys - LOL Sounds like a blast. Reader's conventions are so much fun. It's been a year since I went to one but this year I'm gonna make a few because I always have the best of times when I go. LOL

Carolyn, it sure did!!! I would have been shocked, and if I was in a really wolfish mood and he appealed a whole lot, like he does, I would have kissed him right back to show he wasn't in charge. LOL :)